'Tarzan' and 'Chorus Line' coming to the John Glenn High School stage this month

That's not a problem for Kim Hubert, who has been creating costumes for Bangor John Glenn High School productions for the past 12 years.

"I see it in my head," she said. "Then I sit down and start putting it together, tweaking it until I like it."

For the apes, Hubert's idea was to tie scraps of material together to resemble fur — one brown and one blue — to indicate which family each ape belongs to.

After the apes comes the flora and fauna, which require colorful dresses highlighted with leaves and green tights for the stems. Add a dash of glow paint for the plants to dance under black lights and you have one exciting show.

It all comes together when the stage at John Glenn High School is turned into a jungle for "Tarzan the Stage Musical," based on the popular Disney film.

For the third year in a row, directors Jeanne Gilbert and Lori Duncan have assembled a cast of students and adults to bring two summer musicals to the stage of John Glenn High School.

"Tarzan The Stage Musical," featuring a cast of 65, is on stage at 7 p.m. July 23 and 27, and 2 p.m. July 25 and 26.

Gilbert and Duncan are also directing "Chorus Line," with 27 cast members, playing at 7 p.m. July 24-26 and 2 p.m. July 27.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens.

While Tarzan got the creative juices flowing, Hubert and her crew of 30 helpers also had to come up with costumes for Chorus Line.

Thankfully, Hubert said, the show requires some basic street clothes.

"I like to call it up cycling," said Hubert. "Turning clothing into costumes."

Both productions aren't just students from Bangor Township Schools. The musicals have gotten so popular, students from Saginaw, Frankenmuth, Reese, Midland, Essexville and Bay City have joined in on the fun. There is a also a student from Dallas, Texas, who moved in with his grandmother so he could be part of the action.

Hubert isn't the only one thinking of creative ideas for the plays. Choreographer Jeanna Peglow had to come up with dances for the apes and flowers in Tarzan, in addition to the choreography in Chorus Line.

"Different things inspire me," says Peglow, owner of Shining Star Dance Academy. "I like to make the dances very character driven. Make sure the dance highlights the story."

The process begins with Peglow listening to the music at home and getting a few ideas.

"Once I get the group together, it creates its own magic," she said. "I'm having a blast. It's a lot of work, but I wouldn't want to be in any other place."

While the plays couldn't be more different, Gilbert says there is an underlying theme and lesson in both.

"Both plays are about body image and how we perceive ourselves," she said. "Tarzan is in the jungle and is different, but being accepted. Chorus line, you have to have that dancer's body to make it on Broadway. It's about acceptance of who you are, acceptance into society, and striving for whatever you want to be and not letting society put limitations on you."

Actors have learned that lesson.

"The students have come to succeed and it doesn't matter if they are challenged in any way," says Peglow. "They are accepted here and leave with lifelong friendships. They have the freedom to have fun."

Money raised from the plays help fund the arts at participating schools.

"Tarzan the Stage Musical"

Based on the Disney film adapted from the 1914 Edgar Rice Burroughs novel about an orphan boy raised by gorilla parents. It includes songs by Phil Collins.

When: 7 p.m. July 23 and 27, 2 p.m. July 25 and 26

Where: John Glenn Auditorium, 3201 Kiesel Road

Tickets: $10 for adults, $8 for students and senior citizens

"Chorus Line"

Seventeen dancers are auditioning for spots on a chorus line. Set on a bare stage, the story explores the lives of the dancers and the choreographer as they discuss their decisions to become dancers. Music is by Marvin Hamlisch, with lyrics by Edward Kieban. The musical received nine Tony Awards, and the 1976 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.